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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. land — a country
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — to visit
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. can — a tin
  9. land — ground
  10. pop — soda
  11. branch — a division
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pop — music
  14. court — for sport
  15. lean — thin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — to be able to
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com